Adequate preparation is essential if you must conduct a good interview. To make sure that you, the host, and your guest, the interviewee are on the same page, pre-interviews are carried out.

This practice increases the chemistry between the both of you during the live interview.

Any serious podcaster will take their time to organize a podcast pre-interview. The benefits are well worth the effort.

• It provides quality content for your podcast.

• It is an avenue to showcase your brand to prospective clients. An interview can attract the attention of potential investors and clients to your project, providing an elaborate ad for your brand.

Your guest might as well be a future client and striking a good first impression can help you secure them. You’d have to show your potential clients that you’re organized, sharp, and are genuinely passionate about creating formidable content that appeals to your audience.

Pre-interview questions create a clear understanding between you and your guest, ensuring that the entire interview runs smoothly.

Pre-interviews are a good foundation for the actual interview. They warm you and your guest up and allow you to get a bit familiar with the guest before the show.

Helpful Pre-Interview Questions

1. Create Rapport: Your first Question should aim at establishing a connection with your interviewee since you’d probably be meeting them for the first time. A skillful interviewer allows the guest to warm up to them so they are more comfortable during the interview. Make casual conversation by asking simple questions like:

“How was your week going?”

“What is the highlight of your week?

“Do you have any pets”

2. Define the Interview’s Outline: You must have discussed the topic of the interview over email or telephone while inviting the person. At this stage, you drill down on the topic and uncover a unique angle from your guest.

“Can you tell me a few ideas regarding this topic you’d like to be touched on during the episode”

“Is one hour okay for the runtime of the interview?”

“What topics are you comfortable with discussing during the interview?”

3. Solidify your Talking Points: While sharing their ideas with you, your guest might forget it’s not the actual interview and give away too much. You want to save the details for the main interview, so do well to halt them if they start rambling.

“What would you like your listeners to hear”

“Is it okay if mention the controversies in your career”

4. Clarify the Introductions: Here you want to make sure you’re respecting your guest by introducing them appropriately and pronouncing their names correctly.

“How would you like me to introduce you to the listeners?”

“What qualification would you like in your introduction?”

“Can I call you by your nickname or stage name?’

5. Set Expectations: These questions prepare you for what your guest has to offer and guide your questions throughout the interview.

“How much experience do you have in the industry?”

“Have you been interviewed on a show before?”

“What are your current goals?”

6. Gather How Your Guests Would Like to Be Contacted: Let your audience know that at the end of the show they’ll be sharing their contact details with the audience.

“After we’ve covered all your talking points, I’ll be telling the audience how they can stay in touch with you. How would you like the listeners to reach out to you?”